How libraries can help the public engage with AI and their local government
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With a better understanding of the technology, residents could be more trusting of and engaged with government’s use of AI.
Public libraries have evolved from traditionally supplying communities with books to expanding their selection of services to serve as health care hubs, lend musical instruments and offer cooking classes. Now, artificial intelligence-focused programs are another tool being offered to help residents better understand how the technology works, how they can use it and how their governments are implementing it.
Libraries across the U.S. have assumed the role of helping the general public transition from “knowing about AI to actually using AI to do something and … making decisions about AI,” said Mila Hernandez, research director at the University at Albany and State University of New York’s Center for Technology in Government.
Such efforts can benefit governments by making communities more open to AI-based policies and programs once they better understand the tech’s functions, benefits and harms, said Sam Helmick, president of the American Library Association.
That impact is especially valuable for governments in the U.S. as only 31% of Americans report that they trust their own government to regulate the technology responsibly, according to a recent survey.
Libraries’ AI initiatives can also prime community members to participate in an AI-ready workforce as the public and private sectors increasingly adopt digital services and environments, Helmick said.
For example, city officials in San Jose, California launched an AI learning center at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library last month in a bid to expand public access to tools and research of AI and improve tech-related education and employment opportunities.
Local officials in Osceola County, Florida, also began construction of a “library without books” late last year that will offer visitors learning labs to develop their AI, coding, virtual reality and other digital skills to help expand the local tech workforce.
The Frisco Public Library in Texas has also offered programming in recent years for visitors to increase their awareness about AI in education and the workforce, and learn how to build their own AI tools, like simple chatbots.
These types of initiatives are particularly important because libraries offering AI assistance can serve as a pathway for residents to more effectively engage with their state and local governments, Helmick said.
They pointed to Illinois’ Schaumburg Township District Library, as an example. In addition to hosting learning programs to teach residents how to navigate and leverage AI tools, the library has partnered with the League of Women Voters to educate people about AI’s impact on politics, according to a case study published last year by the Center for Technology in Government.
More AI-informed residents can provide valuable insights to their state and local leaders about how an AI policy or program could impact them, helping create more inclusive and effective government, Hernandez explained.
Civic engagement and resident feedback on governments’ AI initiatives are particularly valuable, as research shows AI disproportionately impacts marginalized communities due to biased or poor data sources used to train the models, she explained.
Indeed, when it comes to governments’ implementation of AI, “the cart is before the horse right now,” Helmick said. By including the community in developments surrounding AI, “libraries can kind of slow down that conversation.”